Good morning,
For more than nine months, the Liberal government has been eyeing a package of measures that could be instrumental in safeguarding Canadian democracy from foreign interference instigated by hostile states such as China – but so far has only moved ahead on one item.
Ottawa announced last month that it will hold public consultations to set up a foreign-agent registry that would require people advocating for a foreign state to register their activities.
But the government has yet to move on three other significant measures that were presented to cabinet last summer, according to four government officials.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau speaks during a news conference on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on March 6.Sean Kilpatrick/The Canadian Press
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First Nations police launch human-rights complaint against Ottawa over funding
Police chiefs presiding over First Nations police forces in Ontario are alleging that the federal government is placing reserves in crisis by failing to deliver adequate funding.
The human-rights complaint, which The Globe and Mail obtained, was filed last week at the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal by police chiefs at nine First Nations police forces in Ontario. In the claim, they allege that Ottawa has allowed “chronic underfunding and under-resourcing of the safety of Indigenous communities.” They say that amounts to discrimination because it contributes to high crime in communities that were promised equitable levels of safety to communities outside reserves.
The complaint seeks damages of $40,000 per reserve resident as well as orders directing Ottawa officials to negotiate deals in better faith.
Russian military blogger killed in St. Petersburg bomb blast
Influential Russian military blogger Vladlen Tatarsky was killed by a bomb blast in a St. Petersburg cafe on Sunday, in what appeared to be the second assassination on Russian soil of a figure closely associated with the Kremlin’s assault on Ukraine.
At least 25 were wounded and 19 of them were being treated in hospital, state-owned RIA news agency said. Russia’s Foreign Ministry made no accusations of involvement in the attack, but said silence among Western countries exposed hypocrisy over expressions of concern for journalists.
Summer McIntosh rewrites record books after winning streak at trials
Teen swimming sensation Summer McIntosh turned in another record-setting performance on Sunday in the 200-metre freestyle race, her fifth in six days at the Canadian swimming trials.
After her winning streak, the 16-year-old Torontonian could finally step away from her strict training routine. McIntosh had stuck to a disciplined regimen – race-rest-recover-repeat – all week in her hometown as she put on one of the most memorable performances in Canadian swim meet history.
Thanks to this past week, Cathal Kelly writes, McIntosh will head into the Paris Olympics as a major international brand name.
Donald Trump has been indicted by a grand jury in New York. What do you want to know? The Globe’s David Shribman will answer reader questions about Trump, the indictment and what happens next to the 2024 presidential candidate. E-mail audience@globeandmail.com.
Got a news tip that you’d like us to look into? E-mail us at tips@globeandmail.com Need to share documents securely? Reach out via SecureDrop
Also on our radar
Search continues for alleged human smuggler: Akwesasne police are searching for 30-year-old Casey Oakes, a man from the community who was last seen boarding a vessel on Wednesday night. He was described as a human smuggler by a friend and a relative. Police said a vessel matching the one he boarded was found near some of the migrants’ bodies.
Rogers takeover of Shaw generates substantial fees for lawyers, advisers: While Rogers’s acquisition is among the largest ever made-in-Canada corporate takeovers, the windfall for the many bankers, lawyers and other professionals who advised on it is even more historic.
- Andrew Willis: Promises and penalties: consumers finally have a seat at the telecom table
- Dvai Ghose: If Rogers-Shaw deal is good for competition, how is it good for Rogers-Shaw?
Banks unsure of timeline for new first-time homebuyers account: With Canada’s major banks still unclear on when they’ll be able to offer the product aimed at helping Canadians invest in a down payment, some homebuyers entering the market this year may be unable to take advantage of it, an adviser says.
The personal is political: An inside look at World Press Photo’s prize-winning shots: From beehives in Arizona to the journey of a refugee claimant from Honduras, juror and Globe contributor Amber Bracken explores the winning qualities of some of 2022′s finest photojournalism.
Morning markets
Crude jumps on OPEC+ move: Oil prices surged on Monday after OPEC+ producers announced a surprise cut in their output target, a move that rippled through stock markets and boosted the U.S. dollar due to reinvigorated fears about global inflation. Just after 5:30 a.m. ET, Britain’s FTSE 100 was up 0.67 per cent. Germany’s DAX was flat. France’s CAC 40 gained 0.34 per cent. Japan’s Nikkei finished up 0.52 per cent. Hong Kong’s Hang Seng rose 0.04 per cent. New York futures were mixed. The Canadian dollar was higher at 74.16 US cents.
What everyone’s talking about
How a government vision ages
“Where a budget was once a chance for this government to skywrite what was possible, convinced that anything was, now it’s a forced acknowledgment of what has to be lived with and worked around. It turns out the world happens to everyone – sometimes it just takes a little time to realize you’re not exempt.” - Shannon Proudfoot
Scarborough made me who I am today. I love it. Why don’t you?
“But my Scarborough was much more than gangs or racism or the police. No memory need be reduced to its worst elements, and there are lessons even – especially – in the harshest places. Scarborough was a first crush, a first crossover, a first kiss. Scarborough was beef patties and chicken curry. Scarborough was the ball court and the soccer field and street hockey with cousins swerving like brown-skinned Gretzkys.” - Omer Aziz
Today’s editorial cartoon
David Parkins/The Globe and Mail
Living better
Why are we so gullible? Four tips to protect yourself from being scammed
Whether you consider yourself an easy mark or not, crooks-in-waiting know how to exploit your vulnerabilities. They know most people take other people at face value – it’s something that they literally bank on.
Jeff Hancock, a communications professor at Stanford University, believes we’re hardwired to be inherently gullible, and we have homo sapiens to thank. “It is in our DNA to take people at face value, to believe what they are saying is true and to act on that information. This is called the truth bias and it is how society has evolved – it’s how we build relationships, conduct business and manage our day-to-day lives,” he said.
Hancock shares a few easy-to-follow tips to keep your gullible impulses in check.
Moment in time: Tattoo culture in Canada
For more than 100 years, photographers and photo editors working for The Globe and Mail have preserved an extraordinary collection of news photography. Every Monday, The Globe features one of these images. This month, we’re looking at tattoos in Canada.
Kila, a tattooed Inuk woman, from the Dolphin and Union Strait area, Coronation Gulf (Nunavut), 1916.George H. Wilkins/Library and Archives Canada
For millennia, Inuit women have had a tradition of tattoos, called kakiniit. Perhaps the most distinctive markings are the tunniit, or face tattoos, such as the V-shaped forehead lines seen in the above 1916 photo of an Inuk woman identified as Kila, from the Dolphin and Union Strait area (now part of Nunavut). Traditionally, the designs celebrated rites of passage, including motherhood; the first was often to mark the onset of menstruation. Tattoos were (and still are) created using one of two methods: hand-poking or skin-stitching. In the first, ink is put into the skin using a needle, which can have multiple spikes. In the latter, thread dipped in ink is pulled through the skin, leaving a line that grows darker with time. The tradition of kakiniit began to decline in the 1800s after the arrival of Christian missionaries, who deemed the tattoos shamanistic. Today, the art form is experiencing a revival, with Inuit of all generations bringing new meaning and interpretations to the practice. Domini Clark
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